I absolutely loved the movie,,, but was tong really dating Ann,, or was he just helpings her. I got confused at…
It's up to interpretation, but for me, he was just helping her. There were many misunderstandings and unspoken words. Ann is someone who works hard for money.
reminds me of Monster 2023, It's about perspective. Our stance frames the narratives of the story when the characters may have a different perspective entirely.
Tong (To me) A warm adult who was present for the kid to rely on. He liked spending time with the kids compared to other cops, as they probably eased his worries & gave him small happiness. Chasing the boat, how he prompted Jane to actually think about her feelings for Ann when she thought it was a crazy idea to have, how he cares, how he comforted/reassured them, etc. He taught the kids to drive, & Jane ended up having to drive. Although some were disagreeable, like enabling Ann to smoke when she had a lot on her mind, he meant well in his nature. He caused a huge shift in everything that played out, but nothing was his fault.
I think he's exactly how he was shown, a good cop, but it's us who might have doubted and questioned his intentions. (even I did, until I was sure >< ) Exist but not him & considering Ann. His kindness was misunderstood; he was judged as a person he wasn't. He's a good person struggling as much as Ann and Jane. His financial/family struggles, despite him being a proper policeman, are likely due to the injustice within the police workforce. How the general public seems to generalize all police officers to be corrupted.
Ann: She was going through a lot. Their debts, her mom's gambling addiction, and her having the responsibilities to care for her younger siblings and to earn money (her arm was filled with burn marks from ironing). Witnessing Jane "having feelings" for Tong, rumors of her dating Tong for money and the age gap (how does that make her?), and her mom pressuring/guilt-tripping her to make choices that she didn’t want.
Ann has her goals but started seeing the reality of her family situation and her limitations, along with her mom's dejections. Ann's capable, but her mom doesn't see it. Maybe all she knew and could think of was for Ann to get married or to be a cop for their family to at least have a home, but she's selfish; nothing will change unless she changes. Ann even considered giving up her freedom of life for her family. It wasn't easy for Ann to call the police on her mom, but even when they had nothing left, her mom was the same—it's a cycle. Ann had no choice, even if she had to leave her family & Jane.
Jane: Although she didn’t start with family issues, she still had her struggles. Her mom pressured her to conform to their family’s image, like her figure, etc. How she has to “hide” from her mom (binder, shirt stains, her eating, etc.) Her confusion with herself, feeling lost, not having any dreams, and not knowing what she wants or likes affects her.
Her witnessing Ann hurting hurts her too. The abrupt shift in her family dynamic and how she had to “stay strong” for her mom as she parted ways with the very person she grew up with, someone she could talk to, and someone so important to her amidst her parents’ situation. She no longer has anyone to turn to or confide in. As we see her moving on with life without Ann, her “phone call” to Ann at the end reveals to us what she was actually feeling all along.
Ann & Jane. Their relationship and bond are so much more than love. How they grew up together, how they supported each other, believed in each other, and were each other's comfort/safe zone in the flat.
Jane always wanted to help Ann, and despite their socioeconomic differences, Ann was just Ann. She wanted to help even after her family circumstances became uncertain. Ann never took any money or anything from Jane while struggling with money. Because for her, Jane was more important than money (love). If there were anything Ann could give, she would give it to Jane. Also, with Ann's mom owing money, Ann likely didn't want to be like her mom; she didn't want Jane and their relationship to be affected by money.
If Ann told Jane, it would probably be different, but Ann was more considerate of Jane's feelings than her own. I feel like Ann always wanted to leave, but Jane was one of the reasons she stayed until her breaking point. If Jane hadn't seen her running, Ann would have left then, but Jane saw Ann and held her back.
Jane says she believes in Ann yet still holds her back? Jane is young, and Ann is someone who has been there since the day she was born and her happiness. Jane's anxious. "Where are you going?" says a lot. She knows Ann will leave one day, and Ann didn't just leave for her dream; she left everything and everyone behind.
Jane probably didn't understand Ann's situation entirely aside from seeing how much Ann was hurting. She may have thought that Ann could stay once her mom's debt was cleared; therefore, she gave her the ring. An attempt to help Ann stay, but Ann's circumstances are much more complex.
Jane isn't spoiled; she's younger and grew up without having to worry about her situations, unlike Ann, so she didn't understand how their differences ended up making Ann feel. Jane just did whatever she knew and could to help Ann and try to make her happy. Ann likely doesn't even share her burdens in detail with Jane, but Jane could see it.
The ring was Jane's way of helping and having Ann stay with her, but could it have also meant more? We could see Ann was conflicted, but she had to. Ann refused anything from Jane until the very end. Throughout, we saw how Jane always looked at Ann. The movie conveyed it so well that with Jane's “If only I knew how to make you feel less pain”—bawling. It is not Ann's or Jane's fault for everything that happened with their family.
A warm adult who was present for the kid to rely on. He liked spending time with the kids compared to other cops, as they probably eased his worries & gave him small happiness. Chasing the boat, how he prompted Jane to actually think about her feelings for Ann when she thought it was a crazy idea to have, how he cares, how he comforted/reassured them, etc. He taught the kids to drive, & Jane ended up having to drive. Although some were disagreeable, like enabling Ann to smoke when she had a lot on her mind, he meant well in his nature. He caused a huge shift in everything that played out, but nothing was his fault.
I think he's exactly how he was shown, a good cop, but it's us who might have doubted and questioned his intentions. (even I did, until I was sure >< ) Exist but not him & considering Ann. His kindness was misunderstood; he was judged as a person he wasn't. He's a good person struggling as much as Ann and Jane. His financial/family struggles, despite him being a proper policeman, are likely due to the injustice within the police workforce. How the general public seems to generalize all police officers to be corrupted.
Ann:
She was going through a lot. Their debts, her mom's gambling addiction, and her having the responsibilities to care for her younger siblings and to earn money (her arm was filled with burn marks from ironing). Witnessing Jane "having feelings" for Tong, rumors of her dating Tong for money and the age gap (how does that make her?), and her mom pressuring/guilt-tripping her to make choices that she didn’t want.
Ann has her goals but started seeing the reality of her family situation and her limitations, along with her mom's dejections. Ann's capable, but her mom doesn't see it. Maybe all she knew and could think of was for Ann to get married or to be a cop for their family to at least have a home, but she's selfish; nothing will change unless she changes. Ann even considered giving up her freedom of life for her family. It wasn't easy for Ann to call the police on her mom, but even when they had nothing left, her mom was the same—it's a cycle. Ann had no choice, even if she had to leave her family & Jane.
Jane:
Although she didn’t start with family issues, she still had her struggles. Her mom pressured her to conform to their family’s image, like her figure, etc. How she has to “hide” from her mom (binder, shirt stains, her eating, etc.) Her confusion with herself, feeling lost, not having any dreams, and not knowing what she wants or likes affects her.
Her witnessing Ann hurting hurts her too. The abrupt shift in her family dynamic and how she had to “stay strong” for her mom as she parted ways with the very person she grew up with, someone she could talk to, and someone so important to her amidst her parents’ situation. She no longer has anyone to turn to or confide in. As we see her moving on with life without Ann, her “phone call” to Ann at the end reveals to us what she was actually feeling all along.
Ann & Jane.
Their relationship and bond are so much more than love. How they grew up together, how they supported each other, believed in each other, and were each other's comfort/safe zone in the flat.
Jane always wanted to help Ann, and despite their socioeconomic differences, Ann was just Ann. She wanted to help even after her family circumstances became uncertain. Ann never took any money or anything from Jane while struggling with money. Because for her, Jane was more important than money (love). If there were anything Ann could give, she would give it to Jane. Also, with Ann's mom owing money, Ann likely didn't want to be like her mom; she didn't want Jane and their relationship to be affected by money.
If Ann told Jane, it would probably be different, but Ann was more considerate of Jane's feelings than her own. I feel like Ann always wanted to leave, but Jane was one of the reasons she stayed until her breaking point. If Jane hadn't seen her running, Ann would have left then, but Jane saw Ann and held her back.
Jane says she believes in Ann yet still holds her back? Jane is young, and Ann is someone who has been there since the day she was born and her happiness. Jane's anxious. "Where are you going?" says a lot. She knows Ann will leave one day, and Ann didn't just leave for her dream; she left everything and everyone behind.
Jane probably didn't understand Ann's situation entirely aside from seeing how much Ann was hurting. She may have thought that Ann could stay once her mom's debt was cleared; therefore, she gave her the ring. An attempt to help Ann stay, but Ann's circumstances are much more complex.
Jane isn't spoiled; she's younger and grew up without having to worry about her situations, unlike Ann, so she didn't understand how their differences ended up making Ann feel. Jane just did whatever she knew and could to help Ann and try to make her happy. Ann likely doesn't even share her burdens in detail with Jane, but Jane could see it.
The ring was Jane's way of helping and having Ann stay with her, but could it have also meant more? We could see Ann was conflicted, but she had to. Ann refused anything from Jane until the very end. Throughout, we saw how Jane always looked at Ann. The movie conveyed it so well that with Jane's “If only I knew how to make you feel less pain”—bawling. It is not Ann's or Jane's fault for everything that happened with their family.